READING FOR SEPTEMBER 15, 2025: ECCLESIASTES 4, ACTS 6, PSALM 97 ECCLESIASTES 4 This chapter definitely addresses the futility of life “under the sun.” It is an honest assessment of life without a benevolent God and hope beyond the grave. If more of the world at least reached this level of honesty, perhaps we would be better off. But we often deceive ourselves by thinking that life “under the sun” is not so bad. Let’s dispel that illusion.
The picture at left is one of several from today’s (7/25/25) edition of the Daily Mail. “The photos depict infant Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq in his mother's arms in the bare tent they now share in Gaza City. Aged 18 months, the stark reality of the war is all he has ever known” How can we argue with Solomon’s words? “I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and power was on the side of their oppressors, So I congratulated the dead who are already dead, more than the living who are still living. But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun” (vs. 1-3) Who are the oppressors? Hamas, Israel, or their arms’ suppliers Iran, the USA? Perhaps all of us share the blame for allowing this to happen and not working to stop it. We who believe there is a better reality than the one under the sun and who worship a loving and powerful God can at least pray for peace (1 Tim. 2:1)!
Verses 4-6 seem to state the basics of the capitalistic economic system. Yes, competition fos- ters improved value in the marketplace, but if we lack eternal purpose during our short life, the behavior of slackers makes more sense. The big question: is there a greater purpose than what we see “under the sun”? Here’s Paul’s view and manner of coping with life under the sun: “For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17-18).
In Solomon’s culture, the lack of a son to carry on the family’s name was the ultimate disgrace. This was still the case in Jesus’s time. Here is what Elizabeth said when she learned she was pregnant with John the Baptist: “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among people” (Luke 1:25). Solomon considered those who were not blessed with children to have lives of futility. What might constitute such disgrace in today’s culture? Perhaps being unemployed or incarcerated.
Verses 9-12 affirms that friends are essential regardless of our view of the world. The rest of the chapter observes that being in leadership “under the sun” does not equate to a meaning- ful life. There is no way to please everyone no matter how much one strives. (Can we get an amen from any leaders or ex-leaders?)
READING FOR SEPTEMBER 15, 2025 CONTINUED: ACTS 6, PSALM 97 ACTS 6 The Holy Spirit baptized and filled the Apostles. Thousands were being saved. Miracles were happening right and left. The Jewish Council decided not to stop the Gospel. So, was everything going perfectly with the church? Of course not. They weren’t in heaven yet; this is real life on earth. It turns out the Greek (Hellenistic) Christian widows were getting ignored in the distribution of food, but the Israelite Christian widows were not. The 12 Apostles said that they can’t help out because their higher priority was prayer and teaching the Bible. This is a good point for all members and leaders of churches. Prayer and Bible teaching appear as a higher priority than helping widows. Some denominations switch those. The Apostles’ great solution? They picked seven men to take charge of helping widows; this is the office we usually call deacons. They developed criteria for this position that should serve as a model for all helping ministry leaders: good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit, and full of wisdom. These apparently are qualities that can be observed and evaluated. (Some folks might mistakenly cry, don’t judge.) Remarkably, most of the men chosen appear to have Hellenistic names. This shows how serious they were about addressing the discrimination. Church growth continued.
The chapter ends by singling out one of these deacons: Stephen. He was performing amazing miracles. This induced opposition from Jews outside of Israel. Stephen experienced just what Jesus promised: “Do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (Luke 12:11-12). Once again, a Christian was brought before the Jewish Council to defend the faith. There’s a current Face- book posting widely liked that says Jesus never called his followers to defend the faith. What a blessing Stephen didn’t have Facebook. The best thing about Stephen, though, was his attitude: “They saw his face, which was like the face of an angel.” Spirit-Filled Indeed.
PSALM 97 This Psalm reminds us the Lord is actively governing everything at this moment. He’s not on vacation until the second coming. He’s not unaware of all the troubling situations in our individual lives and the global village. Because of this, regardless of how things appear to us, we can rejoice and not be so stressed. Wouldn’t it be great if we knew the leaders of all countries were righteous and just at their core? Unfortunately, we know it’s likely the opposite. But that much higher authority, the God of Israel and Yorktown, is righteous. He’s also no boring weakling but is fire, smoke, and lightning—capable of melting mountains. The Psalmist said all the world has seen His glory. Paul said the same: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made” (Rom. 1:20). Let’s hate evil, love the Lord, praise His name, and rejoice in Him.
